1. Field of the Invention
In one of its aspects, the present invention relates to a foam article. In another of its aspects, the present invention relates to a vehicular seat element. In yet another of its aspects, the present invention relates to a trim cover material particularly adapted for application to a foam element.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Foam articles are well known in the art.
Further, it is known to construct form articles from a foam element to which is applied a cover material that sometimes is termed as a xe2x80x9ctrim coverxe2x80x9d in the art. The use of a trim cover applied to a foam element has gained widespread acceptance in the automotive industry. The trim cover can have a finished surface made of vinyl, cloth, leather and the like. The foam element is typically made from an isocyanate-based foam such as polyurethane. Of course, it is possible to construct the foam element from a cellular matrix material such as horse hair and the like.
In vehicular applications, it is common to employ foam articles in the seat of the vehicle. Typically a vehicular seat comprises two general elements. These are the seat bottom and the seat back. It is common for these elements to include a frame member coupled to the foam element and covered, at least partially, by the trim cover.
In recent years, the automotive industry has strived to improve the so-called xe2x80x9cfit and finishxe2x80x9d of all interior vehicular components, particularly the vehicle seats. In practice, this means striving to produce vehicular seats having narrower width channels or trenches and improving the overall appearance of the seat by creating a tighter fit between the trim cover and the foam element. A useful analogy is to consider striving to produce a vehicle seat where a trim cover fits the foam element xe2x80x9clike a glovexe2x80x9d.
As will be described below, the desire of the automotive industry to produce such improved foam articles has lead to a variety of problems during manufacture of the articles. Particularly, a significant amount of additional material and/or labour is required to produce such articles. In some cases, even with additional labour and/or material, it is still difficult to attain the goals set by the automotive industry.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a foam article which has an improved xe2x80x9cfit and finishxe2x80x9d appearance and can be made without significantly increasing the amount of labor and/or material costs required to produce the article.
It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel foam article.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a novel vehicular seat element.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a novel trim cover useful for the production of a foam article such as a vehicular seat element.
Accordingly, in one of its aspects, the present invention provides foam article comprising:
a foam element;
a trim cover comprising a finished outer layer; and
a slip layer interposed between the foam element and the trim cover, the slip layer comprising a material having a kinetic coefficient of friction with respect to the foam element of less than about 0.75 when measured pursuant to ASTM D1894-00 using the conditions set out in GM9206P.
In another of its aspects, the present invention provides a vehicular seat element comprising:
a foam element;
a trim-cover comprising a finished outer layer; and
a slip layer interposed between the foam element and the trim cover, the slip layer comprising a material having a kinetic coefficient of friction with respect to the foam element of less than about 0.75 when measured pursuant to ASTM D1894-00 using the conditions set out in GM9206P.
In yet another of its aspects, the present invention provides a trim cover comprising a finished outer layer and an inner layer, the inner layer comprising a material having a kinetic coefficient of friction with respect to the a foam element of less than about 0.75 when measured pursuant to ASTM D1894-00 using the conditions set out in GM9206P.
Thus, the present inventor has discovered that it is possible to produce a foam article having improved xe2x80x9cfit and finishxe2x80x9d without the need to significantly increase the cost of labour and/or materials. More specifically, it has been discovered that the use of a trim cover with an inner layer comprising a material with a prescribed kinetic coefficient of friction with respect to the foam element allows for the use of tighter fitting trim covers resulting in the production of a foam article with improved xe2x80x9cfit and finishxe2x80x9d. The inner layer of the trim cover comprises a material having a kinetic coefficient of friction with respect to the foam element of less than about 0.75 when measured pursuant to ASTM D1894-00 using the conditions set out in GM9206P (the text of GM9206P is reproduced in the present application in the Appendix). The present foam article is particularly useful in vehicular applications such as in a vehicular seat element (e.g., one or both of a seat bottom and a seat back). Alternatively, the present foam article can be used in non-vehicular applications or in vehicular applications other than seat elements. The present foam article is particularly useful in applications where a foam element is completely or almost completely covered by a trim cover and the intent is to have a foam article with improved xe2x80x9cfit and finishxe2x80x9d or craftsmanshipxe2x80x94e.g., an article having a tight fitting trim cover applied thereto.
The slip layer may be secure to the foam element or to the trim cover. Alternatively, the slip layer may be non-secure with respect to either of the foam element or trim cover. Preferably, the slip layer is secured to the trim cover.